Washington Commanders vs Los Angeles Rams Match Player Stats On Sep 17, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Sep 17, 2017

LOS ANGELES -- Kirk Cousins' 11-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Grant with 1:49 remaining lifted the Washington Redskins to a 27-20 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

The victory evens Washington's record at 1-1. The Redskins opened the 2017 season with a 30-17 home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last week.

Los Angeles is 1-1. The Rams beat the Indianapolis Colts, 46-9, in their season opener last week at the Coliseum.

On the winning touchdown, Cousins lofted the ball to Grant, who was cutting left across the end zone. Grant made the catch just a few feet within the field of play, stopped and, for the benefit of replay cameras, demonstratively stomped both feet in bounds.

Washington then iced the game on an interception by linebacker Mason Foster. Los Angeles quarterback Jared Goff threw to his left, targeting receiver Cooper Kupp. Foster sliced in front of Kupp for a clean interception.

The Redskins jumped to a 13-0 lead and never trailed. The Rams caught up to tie it, 20-20, in the fourth quarter, but never led.

It was a good enough, if not stellar, performance from Cousins. He completed 18 of 27 passes for 179 yards with no interceptions. Cousins threw for 240 yards and a touchdown last week against the Eagles.

Washington tight end Jordan Reed had a team-high six receptions for 48 yards.

Redskins running back Rob Kelley was off to a strong start, gaining 78 yards on 12 carries, before exiting the game because of a rib injury. Chris Thompson and rookie Samaje Perine were effective relievers; Thompson rambled for 77 yards on three attempts and scored two touchdowns, while Perine grinded out 67 yards on 21 carries.

Goff was not as good as he was last week, when he completed 21 of 29 passes for 306 yards and a touchdown. Against Washington, Goff was 15 for 25, for 224 yards and a touchdown with one interception.

Running the football was a Rams preseason concern, and despite last week's one-sided win, the Los Angeles ground attack was still wanting. Sunday was better -- Todd Gurley II ran for 88 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, for an average of 5.5 yards a carry. Gurley also had 48 receiving yards on three catches, including a touchdown.

Los Angeles rookie tight end Gerald Everett had 95 receiving yards on three receptions before exiting the game because of a thigh injury. Everett was the Rams' top choice in the 2017 draft, having been taken in the second round.

NOTES: The Redskins also lost starting RT Morgan Moses to an ankle injury in the third quarter. ... Cousins' touchdown pass to Grant was his 19th consecutive touchdown pass in an away game, a club record. ... It was a good day for punters. Washington's Tress Way averaged 51 yards on four punts. Rams Pro Bowl punter Johnny Hekker averaged 45.5 yards on his four punts. ... It was a sparse crowd. The announced number of tickets sold was 56,612 at the 93,607-capacity Coliseum. Actual attendance appeared to be at least a few thousand lower than that.